Drop in Applications Defies National Trend

Despite a nationwide surge in admission applications, the number of applications received by Harvard is running more than five per cent below last year's total. Less than two weeks before the deadline, the Admissions office has received 135 fewer applications than last year at this time.

Last week Fred L. Glimp '50, dean of admissions, anticipated a rise of approximately fifteen per cent (or about 825) in the number of applicants over the next two years.

On the basis of the present figures, Humphrey Doerrmann '52, director of admissions, said that the total number of applicants this year may well be a hundred under last year's figure of 5100.

January 1 Deadline

Through Monday, the Admissions office had recieved 2600 applications. On the comparable Monday last year, the Office had recieved 2735 applications. The application deadline is Jan. 1.

For the past few years, the total number of applicants has hovered around the 5200 figure. While Glimp sees this as the last "flat" year before the big increase in the next two, if the figure does drop much below the 5100 total of last year, it will be the lowest number in the, last four years.

Glimp pointed out that the Office will recive more than 2000 applications in the next two weeks and that predicting the final number accurately at this point was nearly impossible. "It's hard to say whether we'll get 2300 or 2500.

Adequate Consideration Possible

Glimp expressed mixed feelings about the relatively static application total. "We are delighted it doesn't grow so fast that we can't give adequate consideration to each individual," he said.

But, the Admissions Office is also constantly fighting the tendency of some students to "select themselves out," according to Glimp. They don't apply simply because Harvard's prestige has scared them.